London mayor Boris Johnson would introduce a new London-wide accreditation scheme for all landlords.
Johnson plans to introduce a new London Rental Standard, which would accredit private landlords. He would also introduce a ‘rent map’ to give tenants more information on fair rents in their local area.
But he will not countenance rent controls, hitting back at election rival Ken Livingstone’s plans and saying they would be ‘devastating’ for the sector.
A spokesperson for the Mayor said: “The proposal of rent controls would be devastating for the sector. Rent controls were ended in the UK because they were counter-productive.
“Whatever the ideological appeal, the mayor does not have the power to introduce them, and even if he did, they would be devastating for the construction industry.
“It would result in fewer homes being built and lead landlords to invest less in stock. Other major international cities such as New York are removing rent controls for precisely these reasons.”
But Alan Ward, chairman of the Residential Landlords Association, was severely critical of both Livingstone’s and Johnson’s proposals.
He said: “Livingstone’s call for rent controls is an old idea that never worked in the past. Until 1988, rent controls resulted in a shortage of supply and poorer conditions for tenants. Hardly a remedy for 2012.
“There is no doubt that rents in the capital remain far higher than anywhere else in the country, but the answer lies in improved supply.”
Ward said of Johnson’s ideas: “With over 10,000 landlords in London already members of the London boroughs’ accreditation scheme, it would seem a waste of time and money re-inventing the wheel in this way.
“The Mayor should focus on supporting and encouraging existing accreditation schemes, freeing his office up better to target the minority of landlords who bring the sector into disrepute.
“This should be matched by a programme of serious tenant education, providing tenants with all the information needed to better hold their landlords to account for the service they provide.
“It beggars belief that some people spend more time assessing the state of a car they wish to buy than the homes they seek to rent.”
Comments
Rent controls - bad
SLAs - no real problem. Keeps the rogues out. The problem is more the work needed on houses in SLAs. Where I buy, houses are 30% cheaper at auction if they're in an SLA - easily covers the £500 per house per annum SLA fee.
Tenant education - good. Tell them how landlord economics work, and what landlords care about and what they don't care about.
The correct address is: http://www.facebook.com/NoSelectiveLicensing
We're a member of the LLAS scheme and what a complete waste of time it is. The course they send you tells you the minimum you have to do to be legally compliant and there doesn't seem to be anything else going on with it. Landlords don't need more regulation, particularly outside of london where rents have not gone crazy. Landlords - register your objections to Selective Licensing before your council tries to impose it on your area. www.facebook.com\NoSelectiveLicensing.